Music educational appliance



Patented .lan9 Z4, 1928.

UNITED STATES EDWARD E. SCOVLL, OF AUBURN, NEVI YORK.

MUSIC EDUCATONAL APPLANCE.

Application led February 10, 1926. Serial No. 87,356.

This invention relates to an educational appliance for teaching musicadapted to be used in public schools and analogous places where it isnecessary to instruct the pupils in class, but it will be evident thatthe same apparatus may be used by private teachers 'for the instructionot individuals in the fundamental or underlying principles ot music.

The main object is to provide a simple device whereby the pupil may be,taught to read music in groups or phrases in a stati' under diderentelet, key, and time signatures as distinguished trom the usual method otteaching the meaning et the ditferent individual notes in diterentpositions on the statt and separate instruction in the meaning ot thediierent symbols indicating the different clefs, dii'erent keys anddiiterent time indicia.

@ne ot the specific objects is to provide a series ot' reversible andinvertible cards having obverse and reverse sides bearing the usual livestatt lines, one ot said cards having upon its opposite sides differentclern signals, another card having upon its opposite sides diterent keysignatures, another one or more ot the cards bearing upon its oppositesides different time signatures while the remaining cards bear upontheir opposite sides groups ot notes differently positioned on the stattso that by inverting and reversing either card, tour different groups otnotes may be presented for instruction.

Another object is to provide the device with measure bars which may beadjusted to different positions along the staff for including a greateror less number ot the notes ot the several cards between them.

Another object is to enable all 01"' the measure bars to be adjusted toand from a position across the staiis ot the several note cards so thatwhen displaced the cards may be more conveniently interchanged,reversed, and inverted or overlapped one upon the other.

Another object is to provide the apparatus with means tor supporting theseveral cards in such manner that their respective statt lines will behorizontally alined.

A further object is'to enable the cards to be used upon the displayboard or support for tone drill and contrasts, motive drill andcontrasts, phrase drill and contrasts, accent, beat and measure drilland contrasts, rhythm drill and contrasts, tetrachord and chord drilland contrasts, all contributing to expedite sight recognition andreading of various groups under their beat signatures as to elet, keyand time and also facilitating the singing et the music language in amanner somewhat parallel to the sight recognition ot a spoken language.

This device may also be used to indicate at will any change ot position,key, scale, beat ot the tone group, motif, measure, phrase, accent andalso the measure position ot the tone group and change ot rhythm.

y Furthermore by the use ot this device the measure may be shortened orlengthened or the speed may be increased or diminished at will.

@ther objects and uses relating to specific parts ot the device will bebrought out in the following description.

ln the drawings Figures l and 2 are each ay tace view ot aV musiceducational appliance showing the obverse and reverse sides of a limitednumber ot cards adapted to be used in connection therewith and eachhaving different musical indicia impressed on its opposite taces.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view ot' the same device,partly broken away.

Figure d is a horizontal sectional view, partly broken away, taken inthe plane ot line -t-a Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 5-5, Figure1.

As illustrated, this appliance comprises a display board A of anysuitable height or length convenient tor handling and transportationtrom one place to another but capable of receiving and supporting edgeto edge an indelinite number ot cards such, for example, as the eletcard -1-, a key card -2-, a time card 3 and any suitable number of notecards l-, -5- and -6- each bearing upon its opposite 'faces dilterentmusical indicia hereinafter more `fully described.

The display board A is provided its lower edge with a horizontal ledgehaving a lengthwise groove -8- adjacent to the upright back section A',said groove being adapted to receive the lower edges oi' the cards andto support said cards in an upright position resting against the backportion A.

This display board is preferably of considerably greater length thanheight and is along fprovided nearits upper edge with opposite endbrackets 9- secured thereto by screws '-10- and projecting forwardlybeyond the front face of the backV portion A" for receiving and guidingthe opposite ends of a Vvertically niovable lengthwise bar fll;

is provided ts @positie ends Withfor- Wardly projecting arins Hl5-rigidly secured theretoV and adapted to inove vertically in closeproximity to the outer faces of theVV brackets 4l-i the freut-ends ofsaid arms being. slots or bifurcated at -li-V to receive then adjacentends of the lengthwise br i The brackets V Sl-- are provided near theirfront ends `with vertical slots i?- in which the adjacent ends'ofthejbar Hll-`V arecinovable to and from a position iu front of the'upper edges of the cards l? 2i l? 4, 5 and 6 when the latter are restingin the groove 8- of the ledge and permitting said cards to be inoreeasily reinoved by handrvvhen the bar gli* is elevated to the positionshown byv dotted lines in Figure 3.

The portions kof the bar vllpassing through the brackets-9hi and arins+15- are r`e'ferably cylindrical but the remaining portins between thebrackets k 9- are angular orflat in cross. section. Y

rlhe upper ends of the bars 12- are slightly elongated lengthwise of thebar *ll-- Aand are provided With annular sockets therethroughcorresponding to the cross sectional area ofthe bar -llfor receivingsaid bar and permitting the bars -l2- to move therewith. y

One end of the bar4ll-V outside of the corresponding arin +15 isprovided With a handle 718V- by Which the entire bar with fthe barsY-lQ-- thereon may be ele@ vatedV along thel 'slots -17- and. rotated'to shift the bars -fl2- to andv from .a posi.- tion across the frontfacesof the cards or Vthe position shown by full linesVVV in lflgure'srland 3 to the positions. shown by dotted lines in the saine figure Thecards l, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are of uniform height .slightlygreater thanthe distance betveen the ledge --e and rod `V1l.- v'vhen the latteris inits norinal down position whereby the rod which extends'along theV'front face of the cardsnear the upper edge thereof cooperates Withthefront edge of the ledge -'.7- in holding the cards against forwarddisplacement by permitting them to be displayed by hand from the topforward lyandmdoivnivardly by siinply lifting the rod 11; upwardly tothe upper endof the slot d7- and then roclzingsaid shaft about itsasisto nieve the bars l2 above the horizontal plane of the shaft -l3-;

its. previously -looped around the fli upporting bar 1l- .tohold thefingers aan bar against relative `rotation and also to perinit the barsto be shift' d along-the barand, therefore, along the staff on the cardsfor varying the nuinbcrof notes which inay be included in any group asinay be desired.

The individual adjustahility of the `bars relatively to each otheralongV the staff perinits the notes of any or e'oiI niore or all 'of +Lferent groupsof two or niorev notes in eachVV Without the accompanying lclef,v key and'V tinie syinbo'ls inayt1 by the adjustment of the' aVlarge variety' tone groups or phrases desig-A bars-l2-- be divided intoof differenti .nated by as inany different all `of Whi h inay be readilyimparted to the pupil underproper instructionV Witlithe re`- sult thattliepupil lea ns to read inusic languages in groups or phrases ofvarious rhythms in a n'ianner very siinilarto the reading of the spokenlanguage and at the saine tiine obtains a more accurate conception ofeach tone by reason of its association Vwith othertones of any group.

finer a sufficient amount of drill has been given upon the various"groupings and p of one particular display of tones under yspcciiicyclef,key and time signatures, anyone of these signatures may be changedby simply vreversing its corresponding card andthe tonal groupinginstruction carried on as before in differentV groupings of the sainenotesV under the lchanged clef, key or tiniefor under changes of all ofthesesig'- natures. i l y After sufficienty instruction has been givenin the grouping of the saine notes under one 'dis ilay, either one orallina; be reversed end for end Vfer displaying rent combination ofnotesvhich may, .the adjustment ofthe bars *124, be also dividedinto la4 number of different groups i der the saine or different clef, lrev ortime natures. v

In aclduioiito the reversal any one or all of the cards fordisplayingdifferent coinbinations of notes one or inore or Vall of thcards inaybe inverted to display the group of notes von either face andthereby to prbducerstill further and diderent conibinations of notes.vit beingr understoodv that, as illustrat'ed, the staff linesare-arranged substantiallyinidivay between the lower and upper edges or"the cards so that when any one card is inverted orl .reversed its stafflines `Will 'register with those of the remaining cards.

YVIt will also be evident Vthat under the conmusical terms,

d' the bars -l2- are one cards to be divided. into siinilarror dif.

lui)

struction described the cards may be overlapped or interchanged toproduce other diterent combinations which may also be divided intovarious groups by proper adjustment of the bars -l2-.

It is evident that cards bearing diterent time symbols may besubstituted for or superposed upon those shown and that other tone cardsbearingditterent groups of notes may be substituted for or upon thoseshown and, when necessary, cards bearing different notes, time or clefsymbols may be placed wherever necessary along the staff in properassociation with any note oi any growi within the scope of my inventionwhich contemplates the use o't cards bearing the most importantindividual tone groups and other musical indicia within the musicalnomenclature and too numerous to herein illustrate or describe.

What l claim is:

1.1n a music educational appliance, a stati bearing element, and barsadjustable along the sta Jfor dividing it intomeasures.

2.111 a music educational appliance, a staff bearing element, and barsadjustable along the stati for dividing it into measures, said barsbeing adjustable to and from a position across the stati".

8. In a music educational appliance, a stalle bearing element, a vguideextending along said element, and bars adjustable along the guide forvarying the length of the measures on the stati, said bars beingremovable endwise from the guide.

4. In a music educational appliance, a stati'1 bearing element, guideextending along said element, and bars adjustable along the guide forvarying the length ot the measures on the staff, said barsbeingremovable endwise from the guide, and means for moving the guideabout an anis for simultaneously shitting the bars to and from aposition across the stati.

5. ln a music educational appliance, a music stall and a plurality ofnotes alongy the staff in combination with a plurality et devicesseparately adjustable alone the stati for dividing the notes intoditerent groups.

6. In a music educational appliance, a plurality of cards having statiilines and note groups on their respective statt lines in combinationwith means tor supporting the cards edge to edge with their staff linesin alinement, said cards bein@ relatively adjustable endwise to permittheir positions to be interchanged for changing the relation of theirnote groups.

7. In a music educational appliance oi the character described, aplurality ot cards having staff lines and ditlerent groups of notesimpressed upon opposite Jfaces thereof, and means for supporting thecards with their stati lines in registration, each card being reversableon the support independently of the other cards for changing thecombinations of note groups, the sta-ff on opposite faces ot' each cardbeing equal distances from the lower and upper edges thereof to permitthem to register with the stati1 lines of the other card when reversedon the support.

V8. ln a music educational appliance of the character described, ahorizontally extending card-supporting guide, and a plurality ot cardsloosely supported on the guides tor relative movement thereon, each cardhaving stati? lines impressed thereon, the lower and upper stall linesbeing equal distances from the lower and upper edges ot the cardswhereby the inversion of any one of the cards on the guide will causeits stati lines to register with those of the remaining cards.

9A ln a music educational appliance ot the character described, ahorizontally eX- tending card-supporting guide, and a plurality ot cardsloosely supported on the guides for relative movement thereon, each cardhaving stati lines impressed on opposite faces thereof with their lowerand upper stati lines equal distances from the lower and upper edges ofthe cards whereby the inversion or reversal of any one of the cards onthe guide will bring its statt lines into registration with those of theother cards.

l0. In a music educational appliance of the character described, ahorizontally eX- tending display board having a lengthwisecard-supporting guide, separate cards loosely supported upon the guidefor relative lengthwise movement, reversal and inversion thereon, eachcard having its opposite faces provided with stati lines and diiierentgroups of notes on its stati", the lower and upper statt lines beingequal distances from the opposite lengthwise edges ot the card.

1l. ln a music educational appliance of the character described, ahorizontally eX- tending display board having a card-supporting` guideand a bar-supporting guide in vertically spaced parallel relation, cardsloosely supported on the Erst-named guide for relative adjustmentthereon and each provided with a group of notes on its surface, andnotegroupingbars slidable along and upon the second-named guide acrossthe surfaces of the cards bearing the note groups for dividing the notesot the group ot' each card to embrace notes of different groups ondifferent cards.

ln witness whereof l have hereunto set myhand this 6th day of February,.1926.

EDWARD E. SCOVILL.

